The One With The East German Laundry Detergent
"The One With The East German Laundry Detergent" is the fifth episode of the first season of Friends, which aired on October 20, 1994. Plot Eager to spend time with Rachel, Ross pretends his building's washroom is rat-infested so he can join her at the laundromat. Chandler points out this could be a 'date' and the first time she'll see his underwear so it shouldn't be dirty! Rachel, the spoiled 'laundry virgin' feels managing this domestic chore is a real step to independence, but despite Ross's good advice she leaves a red sock in the machine. The real accomplishment comes where she has to stand up as no-nonsense-New Yorker against a rude, aggressive woman who invents rules to pretend it's not Rachel turn to do her laundry. Joey realizes he regrets dumping foxy Angela when he learns she is dating Bob. He proposes a double-date, then needs a girl stat. Monica agrees to be Joey's date but when she sees hunky Bob and realizes he's not Angela's brother she starts to enjoy the evening. Chandler drinks too much espresso while desperately trying to break up with neurotic Janice. Cast and Crew Main Cast Jennifer Aniston - Rachel Green Courteney Cox - Monica Geller Lisa Kudrow - Phoebe Buffay Matt LeBlanc - Joey Tribbiani Matthew Perry - Chandler Bing David Schwimmer - Ross Geller Supporting Cast Camille Saviola - The Horrible Women Kim Gillingham - Angela Jack Armstrong - Bob Maggie Wheeler - Janice Crew Directed By: Pamela Fryman Written By: Jeff Greenstein & Jeff Strauss Trivia General *Ross's detergent Überweiss is German for "Super White." *The executive producer credits are moved to the end of the opening sequence, with the creator credits preceding them. Goofs/Continuity *While on the date, Monica says that her brother never told her when he lost his virginity, but in the The One With George Stephanopoulos, Monica states that Ross told everyone, including her, that he had lost his virginity to Carol. ( although it may have been that he told everybody that he sleept with Carol for the first time, not that he lost his virginity. ) *A sign in the laundromat reads "lost cloths" not "lost clothes", though a surprising number of laundromats have the same spelling error. *Rachel tells Ross that she can't even send back soup, but she sends back a drink in "The One With The Flashback". Chronologically that would have been a year earlier. *In this episode, Monica says she sees Ugly Naked Guy laying kitchen tile. It is impossible for Monica to see into his kitchen. As we see in Season 5 when Ross gets that apartment, the kitchen is in the upper right of the screen with a door. And when Phoebe finds out about Chandler and Monica at a straight on shot of the window in that apartment you can't see the kitchen. *In this episode Monica and Rachel must go to the laundromat because they do not have a laundry room in their building. However, in other episodes Monica and Rachel do have a laundry room, as they often come home with their laundry and are wearing pajamas. *If you look carefully, when Rachel yells to the horrible woman and says "You're gonna have to take me with it", Ross is mouthing the line. *While on the "double date" with Joey, Monica tells a story about the Underdog Thanksgiving balloon escaping, this event won't occur for a few more episodes when the Thanksgiving special airs. ( Actually she tells a story about Underdog's head failing to inflate, not about him escaping. ) 'Episode Navigation' Category:Season 1 Category:Episodes Category:Friends